Shikamaru: Ambu in Peril
by IAmTheRealSpiderman
Summary: "Shikamaru saw the shadow fly across the sky and he lay in his bed, waiting for the attack. The rustling of the leaves, the rise and fall of the sleeping Nara's chest, the clink of both side's weapons in preparation, and then the silence. Nobody breathes. Nobody moves. Everything and everyone is dead-still. The calm before the storm." (Additional summary inside)
1. Chapter 1

**Additional Summary: Shikamaru embarks on a mission. But what is more dangerous is what lurks, seeking his demise. Will Shikamaru be safe or will those who seek his end get what they desire.**

**Okay, so this is my first Naruto fanfiction. I worked really hard on this first chapter. Also, this is completely clean of inappropriateness or language or etc. Please let me know what you think. I'm always open to ideas as this story is still in the making. Just let me know! Enjoy!**

Shikamaru gazed wistfully at the clouds as they peacefully moved across the sky. He lay relaxing on the smooth grass outside of the Nara household. Pretty soon he would have to make his way to the Hokage's office for another troublesome mission.

"What a drag...," Shikamaru said with a sigh.

He closed his eyes with hopes of taking a quick nap before having to go on whatever mission would be assigned to him. Much to his dismay, those hopes were swiftly extinguished.

"SHIkaMARu! Get your lazy butt off that grass and get going! You're going to be late!" Shikamaru groaned at the sound of his mother's boisterous voice. After taking one last look at the blue sky, Shikamaru stood up and wiped the grass off of his Ambu black ops uniform. He untied his Ambu mask from his pants and looked at it fondly. It wasn't that long ago that he had become an Ambu member. A lot of people had thought that he was too young for Ambu, but here he was nonetheless. Shikamaru donned his deer mask and took off towards the Hokage's office.

_What a drag...yet another mission. I suppose this is what I signed up for, but still...how troublesome, _Shikamaru thought. Granted, Shikamaru didn't carry out all the duties that the normal anbu would. He was primarily a part of the black ops because of his stunning intellect and his vital combat strategies. Not to neglect Shikamaru's physical abilities, however, because his battle skills were certainly jounin level. His need as a strategist for Ambu wasn't required very often, so he mostly carried out normal missions and worked for the Hokage. After a few minutes of speeding towards the Hokage's office, Shikamaru soon arrived at his destination.

_Swoosh! _The four people in the room turned their heads to look at Shikamaru when he suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office. He was kneeling with one knee and one hand in a fist on the floor, his head bowing towards the ground.

"Shikamaru Nara reporting in for assignment, mam." he simply said.

Tsunade paused then said, "Shikamaru...I see you thought that taking a little nap was more important than making it on time for your mission assignment."

Her tone was serious but you could tell that she was smiling. Shikamaru took this as his cue to be at ease. He stood up, slouching and casually put his hands in his pocket with a relaxed grin. Tsunade organized some papers for the briefing, talking while she did so.

"I take it your mother gave you an earful for it."

"Indeed she did."

Tsunade smiled fondly then continued gathering papers. Shikamaru used this as a chance to look at the other three people in the room. He recognized them as Genma, Anko, and Raido, all more than decent shinobi. Raido was staring at him in silent contemplation. Shikamaru made eye contact and the two quietly stared at each other. The room was filled with a comfortable and professional silence, save the rustling of Tsunade's papers. They had never met, but Shikamaru could tell that Raido recognized who he was. And he knew what Raido was probably thinking. _This is the kid who helped win the Fourth Great Ninja War with his genius strategies then became an Ambu at an extraordinarily young age. _Shikamaru was thinking something similar about Raido. Both people saw each other as exceptional shinobi and they both knew it.

"Well, now that everybody is here, let's get started with the briefing." Tsunade's voice brought the men out of their assessment of each other. "This mission is going to be a double mission. First off, you four will be sent to a small village on the edge of the land of fire. Missing nin have been attacking that village there for some time. There are already multiple squads of shinobi there and they're currently fighting off the missing-nin from a defensive position in the village. This issue has not reached the level of war, but it is a significant battle. Shikamaru, upon arrival you are to take command of all the squads of shinobi there. They have already been informed of this. You three will be a part of the command squad, helping with strategy and troop management, and fighting when necessary."

Genma shifted the toothpick-like senbon in his mouth then politely asked, "You said it was a double mission?"

"Yes. I was getting to that." Tsunade took a breath then continued, "The second part of the mission is for you three to protect Shikamaru."

Everyone's eyes widened and the room's occupants looked at Shikamaru. Shikamaru's eyes furrowed in thought and confusion.

"I'm more than capable of defending myself Hogage sama." he said calmly.

Tsunade looked at him knowingly than said, "I know Shikamaru, but this is not a matter of your skills or any other reason." She paused to let this sink in then continued, "I'm doing this because I believe there is somebody after you."

"Somebody's after me?"

"Yes. Though I don't know who they are, I have seen what they can do and they are very dangerous. Maybe even to the likes of me."

Anko thought for a second than strongly interjected, "Wouldn't he be safer in the village than on a mission?"

"Yeah. There's more shinobi here and putting him on a mission would only put him in further danger, if your intention is to protect him that is." Genma commented.

"No. Tsunade has a point," Shikamaru spoke up, "If I stay here the people of this village could potentially be in danger. Not to mention, if we keep the mission a secret, they may not even know that I'm gone. This might give the shinobi here a chance to track these miscreants down before I'm even in direct danger." Shikamaru concluded, maintaining his calm, composed posture.

"Precisely, Shikamaru. That is why I'm sending you on this mission. That and the fact that we really need you for this mission. As I'm sure you all know, we can't exactly deploy every living shinobi in the village to fight this battle. Shikamaru has the necessary skills to turn the limited resources into success."

The four other shinobi in the room nodded their understanding then waited for Tsunade to continue. "Now, Raido, Genma, Anko, your mission starts now. This squad won't officially depart until first thing tomorrow morning, but I want the three of you to protect him all throughout the night. As you've no-doubt noticed Shikamaru, a few enemies are already in the village."

Shikamaru nodded, "Indeed. I wasn't certain, but I believed that there were at least three people spying outside my house last night. Before I found out what the mission was, I was planning to tell you and investigating it after the briefing."

"I figured as much," Tsunade said, "Now, Shikamaru, you need to head straight home and prep for the mission. You three need to quickly pack the necessary supplies for the mission, then head to Shikamaru's house and start inconspicuously taking shifts to stand guard. Be careful, all four of you. We don't know a lot about these people, so you don't know exactly what to expect. But, you do know that these guys are good and they're dangerous. Good luck. Dismissed."

Anko, Raido, and Genma spared a glance at Shikamaru, taking a moment to recognize his amazing ability to stay calm at the news he had received. Then they, along with Shikamaru, swiftly shunshined out of the office.

Late that Evening: Outside the Head Nara Household

Anko, Raido, and Genma crouched in a circle in the trees, quietly strategizing.

"Anko, you've got first watch. Wake me in three hours." Raido said seriously.

"Hai."

Raido and Genma quietly took positions on a tree branch to sleep, as Anko perched higher in the tree. She found a sturdy branch, then settled, her eyes sharply moving and analyzing her surroundings. Her years of experience became obvious as she kept her body completely still whilst still glancing in Shikamaru's bedroom and around the Nara Household for any potential dangers.

Around the same time: Shikamaru's Bedroom

Shikamaru briefly glanced outside his window and spotted Anko in position on a tree. _'Sigh' and I thought today was just going to be another normal, boring mission. What a drag._

2:37 AM

The night was dark and quiet. The only sounds were the crickets' chirps sounding throughout the grass or the occasional owl hooting. The sky, dark but laden with beautiful stars and a half-moon, lay painted peacefully above the trees. Amongst this peace, only a trained eye would notice the ominous shadows leaping from the trees and onto the Nara house. Raido remained crouched on a tree branch, having switched watch with Anko not too long ago. His keen eyes were alerted the second he saw the motion and he soundlessly woke his comrades. Shikamaru was soundlessly sleeping, at least to those who see him. But, he too saw the shadow across the sky and lay in his bed, waiting for the attack. The whistling of the wind, the rustling of the leaves, the rise and fall of the sleeping Nara's chest, the breathing of shinobi, good and bad, the clink of both side's weapons in preparation, and then the silence. Nobody breathes. Nobody moves. Everything and everyone is dead-still. The calm before the storm.

**Soooooooooo...What did ya think? I really hoped you liked it. Please let me know! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! I really hope this chapter works out. I dunno. Enjoy and I hope you like it!**

Shikamaru sees the shadow fly across the sky and he lay in his bed, waiting for the attack. The rustling of the leaves, the rise and fall of the sleeping Nara's chest, the quiet hiss of a kunai being unsheathed right over his head, and then the silence. Nobody breathes. Nobody moves. Everything and everyone is dead-still. The calm before the storm..._Clang! _The silence is shattered by the sound of a weapon hitting its mark.

. . . . . . . . .

Shikamaru lay in his bed, a bead of sweat rolling down his grimacing face. His hands shake with tension as he holds his kunai against his enemy's weapon, having narrowly evaded his demise. Shikamaru quickly takes note of the six ninja in his room with their weapons drawn. The person who just attempted to kill him was still leaning over his bed and grinding down on Shikamaru's kunai with his own weapon. In a split moment, Shikamaru breaks contact with the enemy's weapon and rolls off the bed. He moves swiftly and barely manages to escape the weapon coming down on his chest. Shikamaru glances once again at the assailants in his room. They wear sleek, hooded, night-black uniforms that seem to disappear into the darkness. Their faces are hidden with bare, blood-red masks. Shikamaru's kunai is still held firm in his hand as he stands in a ready fighting position. He can hear muffled fighting outside and realizes the others are currently unable to help him. The assailants nonchalantly move towards him and he takes a step backward, only to feel the cold wall at his back. _Dang it! _He was alone. And he was fighting for his life.

...

**Meanwhile, outside the Nara house...**

"Anko behind you!" Raido warns sternly. Anko, who is fighting two red masked strangers, quickly takes them out and turns to throw a kunai at the oncoming warrior. She hits her mark and her attacker falls the ground with a moan. Raido, who had turned back to fighting five enemies after warning Anko, wields his black sword, Kokuto. He fights methodically, thinking of the quickest way to take out his challengers and his face shows his disciplined focus on the fight. His sword blocks an oncoming blade to his right. He kicks the person to his left to avoid getting stabbed and brings him to the ground with a half-dozen ninja stars. Then Raido speedily crouches down to avoid a sword, stabs the sword's wielder from the ground, then throws a few kunai, killing two of the missing-nin he's fighting. Behind him, the last of his five attackers quietly stalks up to him, intending to attack. Raido stands up easily from his crouched position and spares a knowing glance behind him. Then, without warning, he swiftly thrusts his sword back into his attacker. He removes his sword and the attacker falls onto the damp grass with a thud.

...

**Back in Shikamaru's bedroom...**

The six darkly clothed people remain hard to see. However, Shikamaru can still make out the silver katanas they unsheathe as they prepare to attack. _Crap. My Ambu sword is on the other side of my bed. And the rest of my kunai are there too. I can only fend these guys off so much with just a kunai. _Shikamaru furrows his face further as he tries to think. He spares a glance at his bedside table where his sword lay hidden and then at the six approaching enemies. _It's so dark in here that I can't see anything, much less use my shadows. I guess I'll have to fix that. _Shikamaru looks at his only kunai, then at the intruders. _Well...Here goes nothing._ Suddenly, he throws the kunai, seemingly aiming at the head of the enemy in the middle. They silently duck and the kunai knicks the light switch, turning the light on. As soon as the room is illuminated, Shikamaru sends his shadow speeding across the floor and entraps the six in Shadow paralysis.

"Ha Ha Ha...Do you think this will stop us?" A deep, distorted voice comes from the person in the middle. Thanks to the new lights, Shikamaru now notices that the speaker's mask is slightly different from the others. Instead of a red mask, it is white with what appears to be a large blood drop in the middle. Shikamaru grunts and bead of sweat appears on his head. _These guys are strong if they're able to resist my shadow Jutsu already. And I'm at full strength! _Shikamaru looks at the leader then answers their question, "No, I didn't. I just needed enough time to do this!"

Shikamaru suddenly thrusts another shadow towards his sword and his kunai and snatches them. In one quick movement, Shikamaru brings the sword safely into his grasp, releases his shadow on the enemies, then uses it to throw kunai, taking out two of the strangers. He readies his sword and all disaster breaks loose. The four remaining enemies attack with brutal force, but Shikamaru doesn't lack skill. Block, block, duck, kick. Shikamaru is a fury of abilities. His experience becomes evident and his katana moves as an extension to his body. He manages a severe cut to one of the arms of his attackers and blocks an attempted sword jab at his side, jumps, kicks one in the face, then lands on the other side of the bedroom. No longer trapped with his back to the wall, Shikamaru now has more room to fight. The Nara stands ready once again but is confused when he isn't attacked. He stares at the group and watches as three of them perform signs. Their bodies are suddenly enveloped in a strange black glow. Once the assassins finish performing their Jutsu, they lunge at Shikamaru. Shikamaru tenses in preparation, but nothing can prepare him for how the assassins attack. Their attacks are unthinkably fast and strong. They move at intense speeds, slamming down on Shikamaru's sword, and quickly overwhelming him. He expertly deflects any blow he can, but these assassins seem to be more powerful than ever. The person to Shikamaru's right attempts to stab him. He fails miserably as Shikamaru hits his sword out of his hand and knocks him out with his knee. Only a second later, Shikamaru catches a glint of steel from the corner of his eye. He quickly blocks the attack, narrowly avoiding being scalped by the blade. The attacker, however, continues to bear down on Shikamaru's sword with a lot of force. Shikamaru sees the last ninja approach from the left, but he's defenseless as he still needs two hands to keep the other sword at bay. So, Shikamaru does a chakra infused kick. But not before the attacker manages a cut on Shikamaru's arm. Shikamaru grunts in pain, smiles, then thinks _I can't do that chakra thing nearly as good as Sakura, but it sure does the job. _Nevertheless, the unfortunate chakra-kick victim is still sent flying out the window, shattering the glass and falling to the ground below.

...

**Back Outside Again... (:D)**

"Raido!" Genma calls, a few feet away from his friend. Raido wipes off his sword and looks in Genma's direction. Genma, who a minute ago was surrounded by seven enemy nin, was now finishing off the last two. He quickly spits a senbon from his mouth to block a kunai. Then he knocks out an enemy with his elbow and throws him into the unsuspecting miscreant to his left. Genma wipes his hands off with a grin then turns to his friend. "We have to get to Shikamaru!" His grin turns serious and he points towards the Nara's bedroom window. Raido and Anko, who had also looked up at the sound of Genma's voice, follow Genma's gaze. Fighting and the clanging of swords could be heard from inside. And, as if on cue, a black-clothed assassin is seen flying out of the window with a hilarious scream.

"And stay out!" the distant voice of Shikamaru is heard from the bedroom.

Genma lets out a hearty chuckle but is soon chastised by Raido, "Don't laugh, his life is still in danger!"

Radio's criticism is cut off, however, by a boisterous laugh coming from Anko. Raido just rolls his eyes then says, "I'm surrounded by children!"

"Aggggghhhhhhhhh"

Genma and Anko's laughter stops as Shikamaru's scream is heard from inside the house. The three shinobi turn instantly serious and make a beeline to the Nara's bedroom.

...

Shikamaru's scream fills his bedroom as a sword comes down on his thigh. He drops his sword, ending the stalemate between his and the enemy's sword. Then he collapses to his knees in pain. The sword still protrudes from his leg and Shikamaru looks up to see what had happened. When Shikamaru looks up, he's surprised to see the white-masked assassin (that had stayed back from the fight earlier) holding the sword still painfully embedded in his leg. Shikamaru holds his thigh and groans in agony. He lowers his head, the pain sapping his energy. However, the white-masked stranger grabs his chin and forces his head back up.

"You put up a better fight than expected." the distorted voice is heard once again, "I mean, only me and another black blood assassin are left. That's pretty impressive."

Shikamaru resists in her tough hold on his head but to no avail. Shikamaru gives a chuckle. "If you're the black blood assassins then why's that blood drop on your mask red?"

The white-masked assassin doesn't find this funny, however, for they slap the Nara in the face. The assassin looks away, their nose in the air than says, "That is irrelevant." Shikamaru spits a glob of blood out then gives another dry chuckle.

Shikamaru gets suddenly serious, "What do you want from me." With a chuckle, the stranger lets go of Shikamaru's head, which drops down to his chest in relief. Then the stranger kneels down and twists the sword cruelly in Shikamaru's thigh. He grunts in pain but is mostly able to manage his it. "Why, to kill you of course. But I'm sure we'll use you for some other things before that. Why, are you..."

The assassin is interrupted as snakes wrap around them. This causes the sword the white-masked assassin was holding in Shikamaru's leg, to be torn out. Shikamaru lets out a short scream.

"Katsuo, let's get out of here." The white-masked assassin says. The other assassin nods and the two are immediately gone in a puff of smoke and there is suddenly nothing between the coil of snakes.

After recovering from some of the pain, Shikamaru turns behind him, to the direction of the window. He is more than relieved to find Raido, Genma, and Anko standing there. He lets out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright, Shikamaru?" Raido asks.

Shikamaru nods his head yes. The pain is still very severe.

"Genma, inspect the bodies"

"Hai"

Raido and Anko then bend down to inspect Shikamaru's wounds. Shikamaru is sweating profusely and breathing heavily. He catches his breath then says, "Thank you."

The two shinobi look at Shikamaru's still lowered head. Raido smiles, "It all was Anko and her snake Jutsu."

Shikamaru lifts his head, which has sweat rolling down it and makes eye contact with Anko. His eyes show genuine gratitude without words. Anko smiles back then puts her attention on his wounds.

Raido pulls some bandages from his pockets then says, "Come on, let's get you to your bed so we can properly wrap your injuries. Help me out, Anko."

Anko nods than the two put Shikamaru's arms over their shoulders. On the count of three, the two lift Shikamaru off of his knees. Shikamaru hisses in pain as his leg is shifted. He nearly collapses, but Raido and Anko catch him.

"We got you, we got you," Anko says gently.

The two shinobi guide Shikamaru to his bed, with Shikamaru carefully keeping pressure off of his leg. He sits down with a wince and a sigh of relief.

"Hey, this guy is still alive!" Genma exclaims.

The rest of the shinobi in the room turn to where Genma is.

"Good. Secure him and contact Tsunade. Ask her to send an Ambu team to pick him up and interrogate him. Let her know what happened." Raido says.

"No need."

All heads in the room turn to the voice to find Tsunade standing in the doorway. An Ambu team appears behind her and starts securing the prisoner and inspecting bodies.

"I take it they finally attacked. Are you okay Shikamaru?" Tsunade asks.

"I'm fine." Shikamaru's voice is strained in pain, contrary to his comment about being fine. Raido wraps a bandage around Shikamaru's thigh. Then he ties it tightly, receiving a pained groan from the Nara. Tsunade knows Shikamaru is probably anything but okay, but she lets it be, knowing he is of good judgment.

She sighs and says, "What do we know about these guys."

"I believe these red-masked assassins are more elite warriors than the others, " Genma starts, having put another senbon in his mouth to play with, "The guys we fought outside had black masks and they didn't put up as much of a fight as these guys seemed to."

"I can attest to that."Shikamaru pipes up. Genma lets off a chuckle.

Genma continues, "The three of us didn't learn much. But I do know this...these guys are good. Even the lackeys we fought were very skilled. These guys are certainly a threat, whoever they are."

"I know who they are." Everybody turns to look at Shikamaru as he speaks. Raido helps him to his feet and supports him, helping Shikamaru limp over to where Tsunade and Genma are standing. Anko follows behind.

Shikamaru winces as he comes to a stop then says, "They are the Black blood assassins."

"I've never heard of them," Raido says thoughtfully.

"Me neither," Shikamaru comments, "But considering how many forces they had just on this one attack, I assume they're pretty powerful. I believe the leader, or at least a person of high ranking, was that white-masked fellow. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch their name. I did manage to catch one of their companion's name, Katsuo."

Tsunade thinks for a moment then says, "Ok. I'll let Ambu know. You guys should get some rest. If there's nothing else, I'll leave you to it and brief the elders and the Ambu."

The group nods in conformation then Tsunade takes her leave. "You aren't still planning on going on this mission are you, Shikamaru?" Genma asks as Raido leads Shikamaru back to his bed, "I mean, you're a little bandaged up."

Shikamaru gratefully plops on his bed and replies, "Yeah, I'm still gonna go. "

"Are you sure? These guys are dangerous."

"All the more reason to get them away from the village." The group looks solemnly at Shikamaru as he pauses. "I'm going to be in danger no matter where I go. I might as well keep the village from danger and accomplish a mission while I'm at it."

A silence fills the room.

"Well, as the Hokage said, we should get some rest," Raido says, taking charge, "especially you, Shikamaru. We have all a big day tomorrow."

...

**The next day...**

The sky is still dark and the morning barely new. Birds haven't quite awoken from their nests and the grass is still damp with dew. The sun shyly peeks out in the sky, its light not quite reaching the village. And it's beautiful colors of orange and pink have just started to spread across the early morning sky. The people of the Leaf still lay in their beds. Only the patrols and the five shinobi at the gate are awake.

"Will you be alright Shikamaru?"Tsunade's gentle voice breaks the young morning silence.

Shikamaru yawns and wipes some sleep out of his eyes. Still seemingly asleep, he eventually says, "I'll be fine. Those troublesome medical-nins healed my leg a good bit of the way." Shikamaru yawns again as if to make a point that he would like to back to sleep. When he opens his eyes from the yawn, he sees Tsunade's disapproving glare.

"That's not what I meant."

With a sigh, Shikamaru replies, "I know. Don't worry, I can handle myself and I know what I'm doing. And so do they." He gestures to Raido, Genma, and Anko, who are standing near him.

Tsunade sighs and says, "I'm aware. But these guys are dangerous. As much as I want this mission carried out, and Shikamaru protected, I don't want any of your lives sacrificed in the process. Please take care of yourselves."

The four shinobi utter a "hai" then set off to their destination. Tsunade stays standing where she was and her eyes follow the squad until she can no longer see them.

"Be careful, by the first Hokage, please be careful."

**Sooooooooo….What do you think? I'm a little iffy about this chapter. I'm sorta still experimenting with this story. I hope you like it anyway! Please let me know. Keep commenting and stuff if you guys want another chapter, please. :D SYL**


End file.
